Keep Your Eyes Open
by shelby.jordan.0119
Summary: AU! Chloe never thought she'd leave her whole life behind, but when the EG realizes that she's the necromancer they lost years ago, they want her back. In an attempt to hide, the gang goes on the run, only to learn that things don't always go as planned.
1. Chapter 1

** A/N: Look at that! A new story! This idea has been bouncing around my head for about a week now. I have a pretty good idea of where it's going. It's obviously an AU, although they have their powers. I've been working on typing it up all weekend but I stayed home from school today after getting only about four hours of sleep last night. I am way too stressed out. Plus, my mom hurt her back so that factored in with me staying home. I mean, she has to have someone carry the daycare kids around.**

** DISCLAIMER: **

** Luke: Scott! She started another one!**

** Scott: Luke! You were on duty this week!**

** Luke: I'm sorry!**

** Me: You know, Luke doesn't own me.**

** Scott: And you don't own Darkest Powers!**

** Me: I own **_**A Sense of Belonging**_**!**

** Luke: Hey, Scott has a weird crush on Bella.**

** Scott: Shelby has a weird crush on Derek…**

** Me: Shut up!**

"Simon!" I yelled, jumping on his back.

"Oof!" he exclaimed, "A little heads up next time?"

I giggled, "Nope! Now, take me to English!"

He chuckled, "Chloe, you know you have two legs and a heartbeat, right?"

I leaned my head down so my mouth was by his ear, "Yeah, but you can cast a spell that makes me light as a feather."

"Touché!" Simon smiled.

A coughing laugh beside me made me turn my head. My baby blue eyes met a pair of emerald green ones and the coughing stopped. I shook my head quickly, snapping myself out of his gaze. My eyes took in his tall stature, his black hair that was in need of a haircut, his baggy sweatshirt, and his loose fitting jeans. He had a big bag slung over his shoulder that was bulging, though not a single paper stuck out.

"Um… H-hi."

"Oh, yeah," Simon muttered, "Chloe, this is Derek, my brother."

I hopped off his back, moving in front of him, "Your brother? Come on, Simon! I've known you and Tori for years and never have you mentioned a brother. I practically lived at your house last summer, and I remember for a fact that you and Tori were the only ones living there."

Derek smirked, "It's called adoption."

"Rude much?" I muttered under my breath.

Tori appeared beside me, "Sorry, we're still teaching him manners."

I chuckled, "Good one. Is he…?"

Tori grinned, "Hey, Wolf-Boy, what's your first class?"

I giggled, "Oh…!"

"See, Simon! She's not a total blonde!"

Simon shook his head, "It took her long enough."

I rolled my eyes, "Cut me some slack, Simon. I'm just starting out."

"Oh, come on! Let me have a little fun!"

"No!"

I got ready to walk into the classroom, then stopped, letting everyone ram into me while I stood my ground. Simon groaned in annoyance, and Derek growled in frustration. Tori had a huge grin on her face, knowing exactly why I stopped. Liz was standing in the doorway, laughing at their clumsiness.

"Does she always have to do that?" Simon whined, brushing himself off.

I shrugged, "It _is_ Monday."

"Why can't she just do it on a Friday when I might _actually_ laugh?"

"Because it's Liz," Tori giggled.

"Take your seats," the teacher called, attempting to hide her laughter, "Miss Saunders, must you always do that?"

I grinned, "It's the perfect way to start the week. Although, you'd think they would have figured it out by now."

"Mr. Bae, Miss Enright, take your seats," she looked to Derek, "You must me Mr. Souza."

"Yeah," he grumbled.

She sighed, "Please take a seat by Miss Saunders."

I raised my hand quietly, "Mrs. Malone?"

"Yes?"

"Since Rae moved, Tori and I were wondering if she could sit here."

"You mean your imaginary friend?" one of the boys yelled.

As my cheeks turned red, Mrs. Malone spoke up, "Ramon, enough! I'm sorry, Chloe, but for the project we're starting next week, I'd like Simon and Tori to stick together."

I nodded, "Okay."

Derek sat down on the seat beside me and scribbled something on a sheet of paper. _Necromancer._ I glanced up at him quickly, only to find him gazing down at me. My cheeks burned and I looked back to the teacher.

"I could just have imaginary friends," I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

Derek started to laugh again, but quickly covered it up with a cough. He assured Mrs. Malone that he was okay and she continued with class. Tori and Simon looked over at me, giving us questioning looks. I shook my head, mouthing the word 'later' before turning my head back to the front of the room.

~DP~

"So, what did you say that made Derek crack up?" Simon asked as I sat down under the tree where we always ate lunch.

"_I could just have imaginary friends,_" Derek answered, sitting in front of him.

Simon laughed, "That's a good one."

"It is," Tori agreed, "But I'm trying to figure out how Chloe came up with it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know…"

"Tori!"

"Chloe!"

"Please don't yell," Derek growled.

"He said please," Simon gasped.

I rolled my eyes and looked at Derek, "Welcome to the group of outcasts of Buffalo High."

~DP~

"Alright, Chloe," Kit murmured, "Just imagine pulling it out of its body."

I nodded and took a deep breath, keeping me eyes closed. I imagined pulling the squirrel free of its body, and as payment for practicing on it, I sent it to a field full of acorns and other happy squirrels. Slow claps filled my ears and I opened my eyes wide, a smile filling my face. Kit grinned back and I launched myself into his arms, squealing in excitement.

"Congratulations, my dear!" Kit beamed, setting back on my feet, "You did it!"

"Dad!" Simon called, "Phone!"

Kit sighed, and waved for me to follow, "I'll assume you're staying for dinner?"

I nodded, "Dad left for… Amsterdam-I think- this morning."

"You're always welcome to stay here, Chloe."

"I know, and I also know you have the room. I'm just afraid of what Simon will do to me while I'm asleep."

Kit chuckled, "I understand that, and I can't say I blame you."

Simon giggled creepily, looking up from his homework, "I have so many tricks up my sleeve, that you would be shocked."

"No, we wouldn't," Tori muttered.

"I might be a little creeped out by them, but I wouldn't be shocked," I chuckled, pulling a can of pop out of the fridge.

Derek jogged into the kitchen, "I'm going for a run, Dad. Oh, I didn't know you were here, Chloe."

"H-Hey," I stuttered, resorting to my old ways as my eyes fixated themselves on the muscles of his bare arms.

"Dinner's in an hour," Kit told him, covering the mouthpiece of the phone.

"I'll be back."

Tori smacked my arm, "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" I asked innocently.

She grinned, "I know."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged, "Off limits."

Simon glanced between us, "What the hell?"

"It's girl-speak," I smiled, "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah," Kit sighed, turning our attention towards him, "Four teenagers, two guys and two girls… I guess I'll see you next week… Yeah, bye."

"Dad…?" Simon questioned, worry reflected in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Tori whispered.

"Please don't tell me you're leaving again!" I cried.

Kit sighed, "What do you guys want for dinner? I was thinking meatloaf sounded good, and of course some French fries."

"Yeah, that's fine," Simon answered, "Dad, who was that?"

"Chloe, would you be a dear and grab the hamburger out of the fridge?"

"Dad!" Tori cried.

"I'll explain while I work on dinner. Chloe, will you _please_ get the burger."

I nodded, moving to the fridge, "Kit?"

"Yes, Chloe?"

"You guys are leaving, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we are."

I placed the burger beside him, "I have to stay here again, don't I?"

"No."

Tori dropped the pan she held in her hand, "What?"

"We're leaving within the week actually. I'm thinking Friday after school."

"Chloe's coming with us?"

Kit nodded, "One of my contacts confirmed that she was one of the experiments. The EG wants her, and we can't let them get her."

Simon groaned, "And that squirrel out there is only more proof."

Kit nodded, "Yes."

"But what about my dad?"

Kit picked up the phone, "How about you guys finish with dinner, and I'll call him?"

I nodded, "Okay."

~DP~

Kit stepped out onto the patio where I was sitting, "Chloe, your dad wants to talk to you."

I nodded and took the phone as he disappeared inside, "Dad?"

"Kit told me you're in trouble."

I swallowed hard, "Yeah."

"Do you want to go with them?"

"I think it would be safer. You're always gone on business trips and after they leave there will be nowhere to go."

"That's what Kit pointed out."

"Dad, you know you can trust Kit."

"It's not that I don't trust him, Chloe. This whole story doesn't add up."

"It's the truth."

"People want to kill you because you saw the wrong thing?"

"Is that what Kit told you?"

"Are you saying it's not true?"

"No, I just wasn't sure what all he was going to tell you."

"You mean there's more?"

"No, I mean yes. I mean… There's just a lot of other detail. None of it is important, so I'm not surprised he only told you the basics."

"When are you leaving?"

"Kit didn't tell you?"

"He just said I needed to call the school and tell them that this is your last week of school."

I sighed, "We're leaving as soon as school's out on Friday."

"I won't get to see you before you leave?"

I wiped at the tears spilling onto my cheeks, "Kit wanted us to leave as soon as possible."

"I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Goodbye, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too. Oh, and Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Kit said you'd be going to the house to pack your things. I want you to go to my room and take your mother's jewelry box and the box beside it off the table."

"Okay."

"I'm going to keep depositing money into your account. Kit knows this."

"Okay."

"Goodbye, Chloe."

"Bye, Dad," I choked out before the line went dead.

As I placed the phone on the table beside me, Derek walked onto the patio, "Hey."

"How much di

As I placed the phone on the table beside me, Derek walked onto the patio, "Hey."

"How much did you hear?"

He sat down in the chair next to me, "Enough to know that we're leaving, you're coming with us, and you don't get to see your dad before we leave."

"So, all of it?"

He smirked, "Pretty much, although I didn't mean to. My hearing doesn't know about privacy."

The corners of my mouth tilted into a little smile, "Apparently not."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Why do you care?"

He shrugged, "You're family now."

"Derek?"

"What?"

"When did Kit adopt you?"

"When I was five."

"Then why am I just now meeting you? I've known these guys since middle school."

"I was away at boarding school."

"Why'd you leave?"

"I left for the same reason you are."

"The EG found you?"

"No, my powers got out of hand."

"How so?"

He got to his feet, "Maybe another day. We need to go eat so you can go get your stuff packed."

**A/N: What do you think? I actually have one of the later chapters already written. It's kind of sad, I have writers block on all of my other stories, but not any of my FanFic's. Oh, did you know that golf balls can miraculously disappear? They can! My sister's boyfriend and his friend were just randomly hitting golf balls in the field behind our camper and we went from having close to thirty to about ten… My mom has to go buy more, but she doesn't care since it's entertaining.**

** I don't know how much I'll be able to write for the next week. My fifteenth birthday is on Sunday and my best friend is helping me plan a party for the following Friday. She's going crazy with it! Right now, my mom's talking to my godbrother on the phone. I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN THREE YEARS! He's in the Air Force and has been stationed in Alaska. I should see him soon, though. YAY!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! School's almost out and the teachers are bombarding us with homework, trying to get two lessons done by the end of the year. I have some somewhat sad news. Before you panic, though, I'm not ending any of my stories. The updating may be a little erratic because I'm working full time this summer. I'm taking over babysitting for my mom because she's going to work with my dad since my uncle quit. I'll still be able to write, but I'll have more distractions than I planned. I also have to have another book finished by Christmas and I'm on chapter five (there are 45 planned chapters). I also will more than likely have to work on self-publishing my book and all that other good stuff.**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Scott: Psst… Luke!**

**Luke: I'm a little busy at the moment.**

**Scott: This is really important.**

**Luke: What? **

**Scott: She's freaking me out!  
Luke: She's your best friend, you can deal with her.**

**Scott: She's your girlfriend!**

**Luke: I'm busy.**

**Scott: She thinks she owns Darkest Powers!**

**Luke: Call Katie.**

**Scott: I don't want to get her in trouble!**

**Me: Scott! **

**Scott: Oh, no!**

**Me: What are you telling Luke?**

**Luke: You don't own Darkest Powers…**

**Me: Oh…**

Tori folded another one of my shirts, placing it in my suitcase, "We have so many good memories in this place."

I grabbed some more jeans and took them over to my bed, "I know. I'm really going to miss it."

"Remember the time we convinced your dad to let us have Simon come to one of our sleepovers?"

I giggled, "He spent months trying to figure out how my door got blown to bits without him hearing an explosion."

Tori laughed, "That was awesome."

I smiled, "I'm pretty sure he looked all over the house for explosives."

Tori shook her head, "Maybe one day he'll know."

"Yeah, maybe."

"We found out about Liz in here."

I gave her a sad smile, "Can you believe the EG killed her?"

"I'm still not sure what to think, honestly."

"I can understand that," I murmured zipping the suitcase closed.

"Is that everything?"

"I think so."

"Did you get the things your dad wanted you to get?"

I nodded, "They're at the bottom."

"What about Ozzie?"

I patted the duffel bag slung across my shoulder, "He's in here, I couldn't bear to part with him."

She looked over at my laptop, "You should grab it."

"It will just take up more room."

She marched over and put it in its bag, followed by the notebooks surrounding it, "I don't care, and we both know Kit won't either. This is how you'll contact your dad and your entire script is on here."

"Fine."

"That's everything."

I checked my watch, "Let's drop this stuff off at your house, then we can head to school."

Tori nodded, "Only a few more days."

~DP~

"Chloe Saunders, Victoria Enright, Simon Bae, and Derek Souza please report to the main office," the intercom buzzed.

I sighed, "I guess we should have expected it."

"Why do you act like this is the end of the world?" Simon laughed, "They're just some measly transfer papers."

I shrugged, "I guess… I guess I just know that there's going to be questions. You know I don't like questions."

"Questions suck," Derek agreed.

The secretary waved us over and handed Simon a stack of papers, "These are the transfer papers for all four of you. I need each of your teachers to sign in the designated box and turn these in by the end of tomorrow."

Simon smiled at her, "We'll do that."

"Thank you, Mister Bae."

"No problem."

"Miss Saunders?"

I stifled a groan, "Yes?"

"Are you leaving with these guys?"

I nodded, "My dad is putting me in their care while he's off on his business trips."

"That's nice."

"Yes, it is."

~DP~

"Mrs. Malone," Tori spoke, making her glance between the four of us, "We need you to sign these transfer papers."

"You're transferring out of my class?"

"No," I told her, shooting Tori a glare, "We're moving."

"All of you?"

Simon nodded, "It was kind of last minute."

"I wasn't aware that you were related to these guys, Chloe."

"I'm not, but with Dad always being gone we decided it was best I go with them."

"Where are you going?"

Tori shrugged, "It's more traveling than it is moving. Dad thinks it'll be an educational experience for us."

"Are you going to be homeschooled?"

"We haven't really decided yet," Simon told her, "I think he's leaving it up to us whether we want to be homeschooled, take online classes, or get our GED's."

"Oh, okay," she handed us the papers, "I hope you guys have fun."

I forced a smile, "I'm sure we will."

~DP~

I leaned back against the tree, my eyes fluttering closed, "Too many questions."

Simon snorted, "At least you don't have crying girls begging you not to leave."

"I'd give anything to have someone cry because I was leaving."

"I'm sure someone will miss you."

"Yeah, the teachers."

"That can't be true."

"What can't be true?" Tori asked, sitting down.

"Chloe say the teachers are the only people who will miss her."

"Uh, Simon…?"

"What?"

"Are you deaf?"

Derek finally spoke up, "I'm _not_ deaf, and I can tell you that she feels that way for a good reason."

"You're kidding, right?" Simon asked.

A group of giggling girls walked past, "We'll miss you, Simon! Remember to keep in touch, Tori! Sorry we didn't get to know you, Derek! Bye, Freak! We won't miss you!"

I gave Simon a pointed look, "Now do you understand?"

"You aren't _that_ weird."

"Simon?"

"What?"

I grinned, "Liz."

Simon whipped around just as a face full of grass was shoved into his face, "Oof!"

I giggled, "Remember, I have imaginary friends."

Simon spit onto the ground, "Yeah, friends who hate me."

"I don't hate him!"

"Liz doesn't hate you."

"I just like being mean to him."

"She just likes being mean to you."

"Who doesn't?" Derek smirked.

Simon crossed his arms, pouting, "Girls."

"I'm a girl!" Liz shrieked, shoving another fistful of grass into his face.

~DP~

I pushed supper around my plate, pretending to eat, "Twice."

Kit shook his head, "Liz got you with grass twice?"

Simon scowled, "She hates me."

"Liz doesn't hate you!" Tori and I told him in unison.

Derek glanced at my plate, "Eat."

I shoved a forkful of food into my mouth, "I am."

"Chloe," Kit sighed, "Why aren't you eating?"

I shrugged, "I'm just not hungry."

"But you always eat chicken and noodles like there's no tomorrow," Tori pointed out.

I picked up my piece of garlic bread, ripping off a piece, "I'm just nervous, I guess."

"There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I know, but it doesn't stop me from being nervous. I don't know when I'll see my dad again, Kit, and I don't know what the next trick the EG has up their sleeve."

"None of us know what's going to happen next."

"I know."

Kit reached across the table and covered my hand with his, "You'll see your dad again, soon. You don't need to worry about a thing, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay."

~DP~

Tori plopped down on my air mattress in the guest room, "What are you doing?"

I slipped the ring I was wearing off and put it back in the jewelry box, "Looking through my mom's old jewelry."

She cocked her head and looked at the box, "How deep is it?"

"Only a few inches, why?"

"Dump out the jewelry."

"What?"

She picked it up and dumped everything out, "Do you ever listen?"

"Tori!"

"Just as I thought," she murmured, examining the empty box, "There's a false bottom."

"Do you think my dad knows?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, not at all."

"Bite me, Tori."  
"Tell me the time and place," she grinned.

I raised my eyebrows, "You really want to know?"

"Who does it involve?"

"Simon," I grinned.

"Oh, hell no! Chloe, you are sick and wrong!"

"Stop making fun of me, and I'll stop with my jokes."

"Deal, now I think you just pull this string here…"

The false bottom of the jewelry box popped up, "I guess so."

"Chloe, look at this," Tori breathed, having taken the bottom out.

I peered over her shoulder, "What is that?"

"Dad!" Tori yelled.

He walked into the room a few minutes later, "What, Tori?"

She lifted up the red pendent, "Isn't this supposed to reduce a necromancer's glow?"

Kit's eyes grew wide, "Where did you find that?"

"It was in my mom's jewelry box."

"Jen just left it lying in her jewelry box?"

Tori shook her head, "It was covered by a false bottom."

Kit breathed a sigh of relief, "I was really hoping she didn't leave it anywhere for someone to find."

"My mom told you about it?"

"You weren't supposed to get it until you were sixteen."

"Did Dad know?"

"He knew you were supposed to get the jewelry box when you were sixteen."

"What now?" I asked, running a finger across the smooth stone.

Kit lifted it from my hands and placed it around my neck, "You wear it."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, "It's a piece of your mom, Chloe."

~DP~

I kicked a rock in the driveway, "Do you think we'll ever be back?"

"We came back last time," Simon pointed out.

I sat down on the cement steps, my finger tracing the handprint beside me, "But there's more of a risk this time."

Tori smiled softly, "Remember when we moved in?"

I chuckled, "You threw an energy bolt at me."

"I apologized."

"I know. You hated me to begin with."

"Simon loved you, though."

"Simon loves everybody."`

"You guys are making me sound like a man-whore."

"You are!" Tori and I exclaimed in unison.

Simon poked his bottom lip out, feigning a pout, "It's not my fault girls find me irresistible."

I snorted, "I find you annoying."

"Anyone who knows Simon well enough finds him annoying," Derek rumbled, watching me while he carefully passed with a box of cans.

"Do you need help?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head, "Werewolf strength, remember?"

I shrugged, "I know, but it looks heavy."

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

"Is that your handprint?" he asked, setting the box down and coming to stand beside me.

"Yeah, I happened to show up the day they poured it."

"You guys were friends by then?"

My eyebrows knitted together at his shocked tone, "They'd been here a month already. I was the only person Tori could stand being around."

"But you weren't friends?"

"No, Tori and I weren't friends until after they came back."

"Why then?"

"She realized she missed me."

"Did you miss her?"

I giggled softly, "In a weird way, I guess I did."

"Weird way?"

"Tori and Simon always rode to school with me. The taxi driver didn't usually pick them up, so they walked to my apartment every morning. Tori killed time by picking out my outfits for the next day, and when she wasn't here, I missed the excitement of not knowing what outfit would be coming next."

"Sound like Tori."

"Yeah."

"Let's go!" Kit yelled, shutting the back doors of the van.

"Shot gun!" Simon screamed.

"I get a row to myself!" Tori called.

Derek looked at me with an amused expression, "I guess that means we're sharing a seat."

I nodded, "I guess so."

Derek held the van door for me as I stepped in, "You don't have to share with me."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not fighting Tori or Simon."

"Are you sure?"

I settled into the seat, "They like to hurt me with spells."

"I have a mean bite."

I raised my eyebrows and fought a laugh, "That sounded really bad."

Derek smirked, "Oh, really?"

"You don't scare me," I whispered, turning to face the window before he took notice of my red face.

**A/N: There's going to be a really long Chlerek conversation next chapter. Some of Chloe's history with Kit, Tori, and Simon will be cleared up. Derek will probably tell a little bit about his past. So, I just read KA's short story "Belonging" this week and… OMG! I was definitely fangirling over the Chlerek. My sister has officially deemed me obsessed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here you go! I know it took forever but read my extremely long author's note at the end for an explanation!**

I groaned, throwing an arm over my eyes, "Kit!"

"Yes, Chloe?"

"We need to get blackout curtains."

He laughed, "I'll think about it."

"Please! I think I got two hours of sleep last night."

"Two and a half," Derek specified.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I told him sarcastically, "I didn't realize I had to be so specific."

"Chloe," Kit warned.

"Sorry," I muttered.

Derek chuckled, "You like sleep?"

"Sleeping is my favorite thing to do."

"I see."

I huffed, not even bothering to try and sleep more, "What's your favorite thing to do?"

Derek's lips pursed in contemplation, "Run."

"It makes sense."

"Besides sleeping, what do you like to do?"

"I like movies," I told him, "I want to be a director or screen writer someday."

"Cool."

"Derek?"

"Hmmm…?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Depends."

"Why haven't I met you before?"

"I spent my summers with the Pack, training."

"Did you ever see Kit?"

"He came and visited once a month."

"Really?"

"He flashed back and forth."

"Now it makes sense."

"How did you meet these guys?"

I smiled, remembering the day, "They moved in the last week of summer before my sixth grade year. My dad and I lived in the house on the corner, you see. I was bored that day- I think Dad was in Brazil- and I decided to take a walk. The housekeeper was out running errands, so no one was around to tell me what I could and couldn't do. I walked down towards the house and saw them moving stuff, and went to go see if they wanted help. Needless to say, I startled Tori and she tried to hit me with an energy bolt."

"How'd you startle her?"

"Kit told me to take a box to Simon's room and she was just coming out of her room."

"She was scared of the tiny blonde girl with red stripes in her hair?"

I gave him a dirty look, "First of all, I didn't have red stripes since Tori's the one who put them in and secondly, I'm not tiny!"

"You are to me."

"You're a huge werewolf."

"Thanks."

I grinned, "No problem."

"Why did you let Tori put red stripes in your hair?"

I shrugged, "It was different."

"Different?"

"I'm known at school as a freak. If red stripes helped my reputation a little bit, I went for it."

"Did they?"

"For a little while."

"What happened?"

"The 'in' group got colored stripes put in their hair."

"Nice."

"Yeah… Where are we going?"

"To a friend of Dad's."

"Oh. Derek?"

"Hmm…?"

"Who's your real dad?"

"I don't know."

"What about your mom?"

"I have no idea."

"Do you have any sibling's?"

"Not anymore."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I've never met my parents, and my siblings were killed when they attacked a nurse."

"A nurse?"

"I was raised in the EG lab."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. How'd you find out that you were a necromancer?"

I ignored his change of subject, "Kit told me."

"How'd he know?"

"I took my dad over for dinner one night, and he recognized Kit as one of my mom's friends."

"I guess that would be a giveaway."

"Kit told me that night. I'd stayed over and he told me the basics of the supernatural world. He's been giving me lessons ever since."

"You told Simon you were just starting out."

"With werewolves," I specified, "I've just started those lessons."

"But you were practicing raising and releasing a squirrel."

"That was the hands on lesson."

"You guys ready to stop?" Kit called back.

"Please!" Derek rumbled.

"Like a dog in a pen," Tori teased.

"Please stop with the werewolf jokes," he pleaded.

"Derek said please again!" Simon yelled.

"Stop yelling!"

"What do you say?" I joked.

"Shut the hell up."

~DP~

Tori grabbed a couple things off the clothes rack in the clothes section of the store we'd stopped in, and grabbed my hand. She pulled my towards the dressing rooms, shoving me inside a vacant one and throwing the clothes over the door.

"Tori!"

"Just try them on!"

"We're on the run."

"I have money."

"Well, so do I, but that doesn't mean I need knew clothes."

"I heard Kit and Simon talking about the safe house we're going to."

"So?" I asked, slipping a silky top over my head.

"There's a male necromancer that's your age."

"I don't need you playing matchmaker, Tori."

"You've never even kissed a guy, Chloe."

"Yes, I have."

"Kissing Simon on a dare doesn't count. Besides, you said it was like kissing your brother."

I huffed in annoyance, and walked out the door, "So?"

"Holy shit!" she yelled, attracting disapproving looks from passing customers.

"Shut up, Tori! We're trying to lose attention, not attract it."

"Sorry, it's just… You look good."

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks, Tori. It sure means a lot coming from you."

"Than- Wait! Hey!"

I grinned, stepping back into the dressing room, "Love you, too, Tor!"

~DP~

_Her hair whipped across her cheeks in the stormy winds, "You did this!"_

_ The man in front of her ran his hand through his already tousled hair, "I did nothing! I was just following orders!"_

_ "Orders," she spat, "You know nothing about orders."_

_ He threw a knife into the ground, "She could have killed someone!"_

_ "She was my sister! She has a daughter! Chloe is a valuable asset to this research!"_

_ "Jennifer needed to die, Lauren!"_

_ "Marcel, if someone gave you orders to kill Jacinda, would you do it?"_

_ "Don't use Jacinda against me!"_

_ "You killed my sister, Marcel!"_

_ The little girl at the blonde woman's side, looked up, her baby blue eyes shining, "Mommy was murdered?"_

I screamed as I woke up, "Mom!"

The van swerved to the side of the road, "Chloe, what's wrong?"

"Oh my God!" I cried as hot tears poured down my cheeks.

"Chloe?" Derek questioned, "What happened?"

"Mom," I sobbed, "Accident. Fake."

Kit paled, "What?"

"My mom," I hiccupped, "The accident that killed her- hic- was fake!"

"Chloe, what are you talking about?" Tori asked quietly.

"She was murdered," I choked out.

"Dad," Simon whispered, "Is it true?"

"I- I was done with the Edison Group when Jenny died…"

"How did you know she died?"

"Since her and I have been friends since we were kids, your father contacted me. He and your mom were there for me when my wife died, so I returned the favor. I had an inside contact that told me Jenny's death might have been planned, but I didn't know for sure."

"Aunt Lauren knew…"

Kit pressed his knuckles against his lips, "Lauren, she… She was my contact, Chloe."

"She lied?"

"I-I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Derek thundered.

"She might not have found out until later."

"It was storming."

Kit's head snapped around to face me, "What?"

"I had a dream. It-It was storming. A-Aunt Lauren was th-there."

"Where?"

"The c-c-cemetery."

"Deep breaths, Chloe," Kit murmured.

"There was someone else. A-A man. I was there, too. Th-They were arguing."

"Who was he?"

"What were they arguing about?"

"How old were you?"

I swallowed hard, "I was s-six, but it was a while after M-Mom's funeral. They were arguing about Mom being m-m-m-murdered."

"Who was he?" Derek asked in a hushed voice.

"His name was M-Marcel."

"Davidoff."

I glanced around at the four faces. They each had uttered the same word- or rather- name. Their faces each wore a mask of fear mixed with shock. I swallowed hard, fearing I'd said something wrong.

"Who?"

** A/N: Here's the explanation. The last week of school was testing week and I had no time to write because whenever I wasn't testing or studying, I was working. Then, I left on vacation for two weeks with my grandmother and sister. I was planning on writing, but every time I picked up my laptop, my grandmother glared at me. So, I turned to handwriting, although I was working on other things. Since I was handwriting for hours on end, I developed carpal tunnel. I now have to wear a brace whenever I write. It's a pain in the butt to handwrite with, but typing isn't too bad. After I got back from vacation I had a few days to relax (vacation was NOT relaxing) and then I had to work. I've been writing for short amounts of time, but I didn't really have time to write until tonight (Friday). It's storming right now, so that's what inspired the storm scene. Anyway, sorry for this long author's note. I hope you like what I have written and I promise the next chapter will come soon! Review!**

**~Countrygurl97**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: It's an update!**

"Marcel Davidoff," Kit sighed, "He works for the EG."

"Works? Like, what kind of work?"

"He runs the experiments."

I swallowed hard, "Mark Davis."

Simon grew puzzled, "What?"

"Aunt Lauren's boss," I whispered, "That's what she called him. He came over for supper one night…"

"And…?" Derek prompted.

"They watched me like a hawk all night. I just figured it was because I was upset that my dad had left for a month."

"Did you know about your powers yet?" Derek asked.

Kit nodded, "It was when her dad went to Europe in seventh grade."

"Aunt Lauren didn't know you knew, did she?"

"She suspected," I answered quietly, "Remember the day you stayed at her house with me?"

"We were talking to Liz," Tori whispered.

"Davidoff killed Liz," I whispered, realization dawning on me.

Kit nodded, "Among many others."

"Jacinda," a voice whispered.

"What did you just say?" Kit asked.

I looked around at everyone, "Why are you looking at me like that?"  
"You just said something."

"I did?"

"Chloe, what's going on?"

I shook my head, "I-I don't know."

Kit placed a hand on my head, "You're burning up."

"Jacinda!" I exclaimed with excitement, "Davidoff mentioned Jacinda! Is she his wife?"  
"No," Derek muttered.

"Who is she?"

"It's not important right now."

I squeezed my eyes shut, opening them back up, "Where are we?"

Kit looked at Derek, "Make her get some sleep. Her powers are too strong and she hasn't been sleeping. They're making her sick."

"I feel fine!" I protested.

Tori gave me a pointed look, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

I glared at her, "Three."

She shook her head, "No, two fingers and a thumb."

I rolled my eyes, "Same difference."

"You always answer with the thumb being a different finger, Chloe," Simon sighed.

"I fine," I pouted, crossing my arms, "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Name the one thing you were willing to leave behind," Tori ordered.

"Leave behind?" I asked, "We're just going to the forest to train, aren't we?"

Kit groaned, "Go to sleep, _now_."

Derek tossed a blanket and pillow at me, shutting the two blackout curtains on our windows, "All you need is a little sleep."

I closed my eyes, laying my head on the pillow and curling up in the blanket, "Bed time."

"Is this normal?" Derek asked.

Kit sighed, "I don't know yet. I'm going to call Andrew when we get going. You three try and get some sleep, too."

~DP~

I yawned, rubbing my eyes, "Where are we?"

Kit glanced back at me through the rearview mirror, "We're crossing into South Carolina."

My eyebrows drew together, "I thought Andrew lived near the city?"

"We've already been to see Andrew, Chloe."

"We have?"

"You've been out of it for three days," Derek muttered beside me, "We're headed to the safe house now."

"What do you mean I've been out of it?"

"Your powers got to strong and you hadn't been sleeping. The combination caused you to temporarily go insane," Kit explained.

"I was insane?" I shrieked.

Derek winced, rubbing his ears, "Werewolf hearing to be considerate of, remember?"

I gave him an apologetic smile, "Oops."

"I wouldn't necessarily call it insane," Kit mused, "You weren't insane. I just don't know how else to explain it."

I licked my dry lips, "What happened?"

"I wish I could tell you. What's the last thing you remember?"  
"Someone whispered the name 'Jacinda.'"

"Actually it was you," Tori groaned from the seat in front of me, "Are we going to stop soon, Dad?"

Kit glanced at the clock, "We'll stop for breakfast in about fifteen minutes."

"Good. I have to pee."

Derek raised his eyebrows, "You just have to announce it?"

I shrugged, "Why not?"

Simon chuckled, "It's good to see that temporary insanity hasn't changed her."

"Want me to beat him with this water bottle?"

I jumped looking over at Liz, "A little warning would be nice."

She grinned, "It's so fun to spook you."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm glad you think so."

"So, can I?"

"Go ahead."

She moved to the front of the van, hitting Simon with the empty water bottle, "Bastard!"

"Liz!" he whined.

"Cocky asshole!" She reached into the cooler, pulling out a handful of ice, "Smartass."

He shrieked as the ice slid down his shirt, "What was that for?"

"Being a bastard, cocky asshole, and a smartass," I explained.

"Chloe…" Kit warned, "Watch your language."

"I was just repeating what Liz said."

"Liz, watch your language."

"I was just stating facts," she argued, "I can't help it that your son is an arrogant bastard."

I snorted, "She says she's just stating facts and I'm not repeating the rest."

Kit sighed, "She called Simon an arrogant bastard again, didn't she?"

I grinned, "She did."

"How many times has that happened?" Derek asked.

I raised my eyebrows, "Too many times to count. She has a habit of writing it in the steam on his bathroom mirror, on his dry erase board, on any type of paper she can find, and she has a tendency to take someone's phone and send him a text. She makes sure to sign her name to everything, though."

Derek chuckled, "I'd love to see his face."

"It's always priceless."

Liz grabbed my phone, "Let's show him."

"Liz is going to show you," I whispered almost inaudibly, though I knew he'd be able to hear me.

Derek cast a glance at my floating phone and nodding, fighting a laugh. I watched as Liz hit send, causing Simon's phone to ring in the front seat. He spent quite a bit of time digging around for it, as it had fallen when he'd slept that night.

"The girls already miss me!" he exclaimed, "Let's see, it's… Chloe?"

"Just read it," I told him.

"Why can't you just tell me out loud?"

"It's a secret."

He stayed turned around in his seat, "'Arrogant bastard. Liz.' Damn it!"

"Liz took my phone again?" I asked innocently.

"Oh, you didn't give it to her?" he asked.

I shrugged, "She took it. I just didn't stop her."

He looked down as his phone rang, "'Love you!' Yeah, sure…"

The water bottle smacked him again, "What?"

He covered his head, "Love you, too!"

Derek gave me a puzzled look, "Chloe?"

I grabbed a pen and paper, "I'm not explaining."

He smirked and nodded, "Okay."

_They think they're really secretive about this relationship thing they've had going since before she was killed._

**Like an actual relationship?**

_Definitely. Liz has a habit of forgetting to delete their conversations off my phone, laptop, and throwing the paper away. _

**So, you know everything about their relationship?**

_Between the evidence she leaves, the way she talks about him, and the little things she says, yes._

** This is good blackmail…**

_Only if we need to. Liz is happy. You have to remember she's dead, though. I don't want to jeopardize her happiness._

**So, if I need to blackmail Simon, you'll give me the information I need?**

_Only if it's a need._

**Deal.**

_Deal._

**Chloe?**

_What?_

**How serious are they?**

_To be honest, I think it will take a lot to break them apart. We're all Liz has left._

**Oh.**

___Why do you ask?_

**I was just thinking about something Simon said once.**

_What did he say?_

Before he had a chance to answer, Kit turned into a parking lot, "Let's all go to the bathroom and walk around for a bit. After we've moved around for a little bit, we'll go get breakfast."

"Kit?" I asked.

"What, Chloe?"

"Is it okay if I use the showers before we eat?"

He nodded, "It's fine."

Derek leaned over the back of the seat, tossing me a duffel bag with clothes and shower stuff, before grabbing one of his own, "I think that's sounding like a good idea."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, "It sounds like a great idea."

"Anybody else?" he asked.

"You know, I like the idea, too," Tori murmured, "Get my bag."

"And mine," Simon called.

"Hell," Kit sighed, "Get mine, too."

~DP~

I ran a hand through my hair, holding a blow dryer in the other, "You think my hair would be fried by now."

Tori snorted, "With that blow dryer? No."

I glared at her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's shot. Although, it's probably a good thing because otherwise your hair would be fried."

"You have a good point," I shut off the blow dryer and placed it on the cabinet, looking at myself in the mirror, "My stripes are fading."

Tori glanced over, "So we'll re-dye your hair."

"Should I go with a different color?"  
"No, we'll just wash the red out, then we'll dye the underside dark brown."

"What?"

"Trust me, it'll look gorgeous."

"If you say so."

"It'll also make you look older."

"It sounds like a great idea!"

Tori grinned, "We'll pick up some dye at the next store we stop at."

~DP~

I winced as Tori's hand came in contact with the back of my head, "Keep your eyes closed!"

"Kit always tells us-"

"Just shut the hell up!"

I grinned, "Are you getting pissy?"

"No, I'm getting annoyed. I want to surprise you."

"Are you almost done? I think my butt fell asleep."

"I'll make your ass fall asleep if you don't shut the hell up," she threatened.

"I'll make Liz save me."  
"You try that."

"Liz loves me."

"She loves me, too."

"I can see her."

"Would you just shut up?"

"No."

"Chloe!"

I giggled, "I have one condition."

"What?"

"Please don't try to set me up with anybody."

"That's what friends are for."

"Tori," I groaned.

"I'll try."

"Promise?"

"Promise. You can open your eyes."

My eyes flew open, landing on my reflection in the mirror, "Whoa."

She grinned, "What did I tell you?"

"Thanks, Tori."

"No problem."

"Are you ladies done?" Kit asked, walking into the bathroom of the hotel room we were in, "We need to be getting to bed so we can get an early start in the morning. I want us to get to the safe house in plenty of time to settle in."

I hopped off the chair, moving to stand in front of him, "What do you think?"

"You look as beautiful as always."

I giggled, giving him a hug, "Thank you, Kit."

He hugged me back, "You're welcome, Chloe."

"Can I call my dad before I go to bed?"

He handed me his phone, "Derek wanted to shower anyway. You have twenty minutes."

"Thanks!" I called over my shoulder, running out of the room to sit on the curb.

I dialed my dad's number, listening to the noises around me while I waited for him to answer, "Steve Saunders' office. This is Alicia speaking, how may I help you?"

"Alicia, this is Chloe. Can I speak to my dad?"

"Chloe! Hi! Let me see if your dad is available."

"Isn't it like five in Paris?"

"He has and early meeting, babe. I don't think it's until six, though."

"Okay," I sighed, waiting while she put a call through to my dad.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Chloe! I didn't know you'd be calling today."

"I have some free time. Kit thought it was safe to call you."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. We'll be at the safe house tomorrow."

"A safe house?"

"To hide," I specified.

"I see."

I let out a small sigh, "How are you doing?"

"Besides the jet lag I have, I'm doing well."

I chuckled, "That's good."

"How about you?"

I bit my lip, "I'm okay."

"Just okay?"

"I haven't been sleeping well, and I was a little sick a few days ago."

"Sick?"

"It was just a bug, nothing serious."

"Oh, good."

I looked over my shoulder towards the hotel room, noticing most of the lights were dimmed, "I'm going to go, Dad. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Talk to you tomorrow, Chloe."

I ended the call, pushing myself off the curb and heading back to the hotel room. I pushed the door open, noticing they'd propped it open a crack. Tori, Simon, and Kit were sitting on one bed, papers spread between them. No one so much as glanced up when I came in, but Tori waved me over.

I crawled onto the bed, taking a seat beside Tori, "What's this?"

"I breached the EG's system," Tori murmured, pulling a paper out from the bottom of the pile, "We printed every document."

I picked up a paper with my picture on it, "This is about me."

Kit rubbed his face, "Yeah."

I grabbed another one, "And this is about Derek."

Simon lunged for it, "Chloe!"

I held it away from him, "It says here that he was held in the EG compound until he was four, which I already knew. He had three other brothers, I knew that, too. Um… he has a mate, who he met when she was taken to the compound for testing when she was younger. Kit, what's a mate?"

"None of your business," Derek growled above me, plucking the paper from my hand.

"Hey, I was reading that!"

"It's none of your business."

"I already knew most of that stuff."

"I don't care."

"Alright!" Kit exclaimed, "Let's pick this stuff up, then we'll all go to bed."

I perked up instantly, "Will we have our own rooms tomorrow night?"

"You might have to share a room, but you will have your own bed. I don't know how big the safe house is."

"I call rooming with Tori!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Simon laughed.

Kit slapped the back of his head, "Language."

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait! I have a legit excuse! So, last chapter I talked about getting carpal tunnel in my wrist, well it wasn't carpal tunnel. I developed severe tendinitis in my right wrist. For those of you who don't know what tendinitis is, I can't exactly explain, but it only gets better if you don't use it. I was in my brace 24/7 for three weeks, and when I went back to the doctor they put me in a cast. The cast immobilized my wrist and thumb, making it nearly impossible to hand write and very difficult to type. I just got out of the cast yesterday, and although I'm back in my brace for a while, I can write again. It doesn't seem like the tendinitis is any better, which means they'll need to give me steroid shots and if those don't work, the next step is surgery. It's a lot of stress for a writer. On top of all this, I've been working on getting my book ready for production. It's been my main priority, which I'm sure you can understand. Updates are going to be erratic from now on. School is starting soon, my book is coming out in a few months, and I have my wrist to deal with. I promise there will be updates though. Anyway, please review. Reviews help inspire me to write.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Please?" I begged.

"No."

"Derek…"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's none of your business."

"I bet Tori and Simon know."

"That has nothing to do with you knowing."

"Derek…"

"No, Chloe, that's final."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"It doesn't affect you, Chloe."

"Derek," Kit sighed.

"No."

"Derek, she's going to find out anyway."

"I am?"

"Then she can find out in her training."

"I mean at the safe house."

"Then she can find out there."

"Just tell her!"

"No!"

I glared at him, "Are you always like this?"

"Yes, it's part of the werewolf gene. It's called being antisocial."

"You're an asshole."

"So I've been told."

"You two are like an old married couple," Tori laughed.

Derek glared at her, "Tori…"

"Hey, I was just making an observation."

"You're going to blow it."

"We all know. Why can't she?"

"Because it's too early."

Simon sighed, "He has a point."

"I am so confused."

"Good, stay that way," Derek grumbled.

~DP~

"Holy hell! Is that the safe house?"

Kit nodded, "Welcome home, kids."

Tori opened the door of the van, jumping out, "This place is huge!"

"Kit!" A man exclaimed, walking out, "You made it."

"Guys, this is Sam, he owns the safe house."

Derek opened the back door of the van, handing me my laptop bag, "I'm assuming you'll want this tonight."

I nodded, "I promised Dad I'd video chat with him tonight."

"I know."

"Damn your super werewolf hearing. Can't I have any privacy?"

"Only if you go out of my hearing range."

"Where's that? The end of the galaxy?"

"A mile."

"I guess I won't have secrets. A mile is too far to walk."

"Don't you walk that in P.E?"

"Technically you run it."

"Don't you walk it?"

"Hey! How did you know that?"

He shrugged, "I think Tori mentioned it."

"No, she didn't!" I slapped his arm, "You read my file!"

"You read mine."

"I hardly read any of it."

"Oops. Sorry."

"You sound real sorry."

"You're right, I'm not sorry."

"Derek!"

He smirked, "If you want a good room, you better pick it out."

~DP~

Kit tapped on my door, "Chloe, it's time to go meet everyone else."

I hit save on my script, and shut my laptop lid, "I'm coming."

"Were you busy?" Derek asked, leaning against the wall outside my door.

"Like you care," I muttered.

"I could hear you typing."

"I was working on a project. Is that okay with you?"

"Your script?" Tori asked, walking up beside me.

I nodded, "Five more pages done."

"Oh, wow. What's happening?"

"Nothing much. I finally made Chad and Heather kiss, but that was a long time coming."

She grinned, "It's nearly the end, and you finally made them kiss? Talk about a long time coming. Have you decided who the killer is yet?"

"Chad's uncle, you know the evil scientist? I thought that would be an awesome storyline."

"It's great!" Tori laughed.

Derek shook his head, "I am so confused."

"Good, stay that way," I grinned, repeating his earlier words.

He snorted, "You actually listen."

"And you're actually an asshole."

"Really, Chloe?" Kit sighed, "Didn't we just go over this?"

I grinned, "I speak the truth."

"I can't argue with that," Tori muttered.

I giggled, "I'm sorry!"

"No you're not."

"You're right, I'm not."

"The giggle of an angel," a boy across the room observed.

Derek growled, "Last time I checked, necromancers couldn't talk to angels. How do you know what their giggles sound like?"

The boy held up his hands, "I was just making an observation, Derek. No need to get territorial."

"You know each other?" I asked.

"We were roommates in boarding school."

"Best friends," the boy finished, "It's good to see you again."

Derek nodded, the hint of a smile tilting his lips, "You, too."

"It's good to see some of you know each other," Sam commented from where he was sitting in a chair by the fire.

A tall boy strode into the room, his chin tilted into the air, "I smell Souza."

"Another boarding school friend?" I asked.

Derek nodded, "There were quite a few supernaturals."

The boy stopped in front of me, taking a deep breath, "I don't smell-"

"Stop."

"Oh," the boy nodded, "I see. You always did suck at relationships, Souza."

My eyebrows shot up, "Oh, we're not-"

"Don't worry, Blondie, you'll understand."

"So confused," I breathed.

"Stay that way," Derek growled, walking over to a couch and sinking into it.

I took a seat at the other end, pulling my knees up to my chest, "By the way, it's Chloe."

"Huh?"

"My name. Is Chloe. Not Blondie," I specified, breathing out a single word, "Werewolves."

The boy grinned, winking at me, "Got it."

"Is this it?"

A girl breezed through the door, "Kale?"

The werewolf boy looked towards her, "Yeah?"

"Can we go out tonight?"

"Not tonight, Jenny," Sam told her.

"Why not?" she pouted, taking a seat in Kale's lap.

"Kit's family joined us."

She finally noticed the extra bodies in the room, "Oh!"

"I'd like to introduce my mate, Jenny, everybody."

My mouth fell open, "This was the big secret."

Derek groaned, "Great."

"She doesn't even know what a mate is?" the necromancer boy asked.

Derek shook his head, "Until now."

"What the hell was the big secret?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

The necromancer boy laughed, "Oh, Derek…"

"Would someone please explain what the hell is going on?"

"No!" Derek snapped.

I shrank back against the couch, "O-Okay."

"Damn it," he muttered, "I didn't mean it."

I shrugged, "No biggie. I mean, werewolves sometimes lose their temper, right?"

Jenny nodded, "I don't know how many times that's happened to me."

I sighed, "See, no harm done."

"There was too harm done. I made you stutter."

I raised my eyebrows, "Really? You're upset because you made me stutter?"

"I'm not upset."

"Sorry, you're mad because you made me stutter? Seriously, Derek, I stuttered because I was surprised. Stop being a baby."

The male necromancer got to his feet, slapping Derek on the back, "You've got your hands full, Derek."

"Go to hell, Brad."

"Release a demon? Got it!" he grinned.

"You aren't strong enough to do that," Jenny laughed, "Blondie, though, she's strong."

"You can see…?"

"I'm a witch, but I can see a necromancer's glow. Everyone thinks it's because I had a near death experience."

"You're so calm about it."

She shrugged, "It happened years ago. I'm over it."

"I'm Chloe, by the way."

She smiled, "Nice to meet you, Chloe."

"Oh, come on!" Kale whined, "She bit my head off when I called her Blondie."

Tori snorted, "That's because you were an ass about it."

"Tori," Kit sighed.

"I speak the truth."

I giggled, "We know!"

"Yeah, still the giggle of an angel," Brad mused.

A low growl rumbled in Derek's chest, "Brad…"

"I was just stating a fact," he defended, "You don't need to worry about me."

"That makes me worry more."

"Why?"

"I grew up with you."

"Good point."

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what they're talking about?"

Jenny gave me a sympathetic smile, "You'll know in time, honey. I was lost at first, too, but in the end, it all makes sense and it's worth the confusion."

"That just confused me more."

"It's all worth it in the end," she repeated.

~DP~

I leaned against the door frame to the kitchen, "Hungry?"

Derek snorted, turning off the stove, "When aren't I?"

I walked over to the fridge, "Orange or apple?"

"Apple," he answered.

I pulled the jug of juice out, heading over to the cabinet for glasses to pour it in, "What did you make?"

"Spaghetti? Want some?"

I pursed my lips, "You know, that does sound good."

He grabbed two plates, putting spaghetti on each one, "I figured."

"You made enough for both of us?"

"I heard you up there moving around when I headed down. I figured it was going to be the same routine as the last few nights."

"You were right," I grinned, sitting at the bar.

He set a plate in front of me as he sat down beside me, "Do you like it here?"

I shrugged, "It gets kind of annoying with everyone talking in code around me. What's that about, anyway?"

"Something you're not ready to hear about yet."

"I'm a big girl," I argued.

"I know," he sighed, "It's just… I'm not ready for you to know yet."

"Know what?"

"Chloe…"

"Oh, come on, Derek."

He shook his head, "You're a smart girl, figure it out."

"I thought you said I was a blonde?"

He chuckled, "I did."

"Then, how am I smart?"

"I have werewolf hearing, remember?"

My cheeks burned, "And your room is just down the hall from mine."

He nodded, "I've heard you work through a lot of things late at night."

"Oh, God," I groaned, "A lot? Or all?"

"Most."

"So, everything?"

He nodded, "Yeah…"

"I thought I could pull it off a while longer."

"Why do you hide it?"

"Life's easier being the ditzy blonde," I admitted, "People tend to forget that you're smart."

"So, you spend your entire day acting?"

I shrugged, "It's not hard. You just twirl your hair and giggle."

He snorted, "I couldn't do it."

I laughed, "I wouldn't expect you to."

"Why do you act like that, though?"

"Like I said, it makes life easier. If you act ditzy, people start treating you like a ditz, which makes everyone think you're a ditz, and in the end, you can surprise everyone. Nobody knows how you aced that test, or how you can give such heartfelt advice, or how you wrote a play, or even how you have a serious conversation."

"But wouldn't it get annoying?"

"Sure. I mean, it sucks that people treat you like your stupid, but in the end, they're the ones who get burned. It sucks when your own family views you as the ditz you portray, but you learn to live with it."

"I don't see how you do it."

I shrugged, "To be honest, I don't either."

**A/N: I hope you like it! I just want to thank everybody who has given me great reviews. They mean a lot and thank you to everybody who wished me luck with my wrist. Unfortunately, I'm still struggling with tendinitis, and at this moment, my wrist is throbbing. Updates may not as be erratic right now because I have about another month before I have to buckle down and work on the sequel to the book that is in the final stages of production. It should be out in another month for those of you who want to know. I'll probably post the link to my author page on my profile, and through that, you should be able to buy the book, but I'm not sure. **

** On another note, the conversation about Chloe portraying herself as a ditz has meaning behind it. In the books, I kind of got the impression that she could be ditzy when she needed to, but in the end, she was mostly serious. Also, this is how I act. People have a tendency to treat me differently (not in a good way) if I act the way I do when I'm alone. So, I usually act like a ditzy blonde because it makes my life easier and the look on people's faces when I do something that reflects what I'm really like, is priceless. I'm serious. They just stupidly look at me while they try to figure out how a ditz could be getting a book published. I'm sure this will probably cause some controversy because I shouldn't be hiding who I really am, but, for me, it's easier. I also don't like people judging me because I am, I quote, "in smart people classes." I mean, just because I'm a grade ahead in most of my classes, doesn't mean I'm different. I just apply myself more than other people do, and no one seems to realize that I've had to work to stay in my higher classes.**

** Anyway, sorry for the long author's note. I've had a long first week at school and have been dealing with immature people. Ugh. Why do I have to be so mature…?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Explanation is at the bottom!**

"You look lonely," Brad commented, taking a seat on the step beside of me.

I shrugged, twirling a bracelet in my fingers, "I needed air."

"I understand. Living with a werewolf gets pretty stressful. You never have privacy."

I chuckled, "How long were you guys roommates?"

"Almost eleven years. We left about the same time."

"Why?"

"Derek and Kale started maturing a little sooner than usual. It was a side effect of the EG's experiments."

"Kale was part of the experiments, too?"

"He was in the group before Derek. It made him the first failure."

"What about you?"

"I was a success."

"You have weaker powers?"

"Unfortunately."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered.

"How was I a failure if you were a success?"

"Complications."

"What complications?"  
He looked over his shoulder, "Hey, Derek. Chloe and I were just talking."

"He knows. Werewolf hearing, remember?"

"I lived with him for eleven years, Chloe. How could I forget?"

I laughed, "I was just making sure."

"Is everything okay?"

I leaned back on the concrete, "Why wouldn't it be?"

Derek shrugged, "I was just making sure. I'm going on a walk."

I jumped up, "Mind if I go?"

He shook his head, "Keep up."

Brad laughed, "Have fun."

~DP~

"You walk fast."

"I have long legs."

"Derek…" I whined.

He paused, looking over his shoulder, "You walk slowly."

I threw my hands in the air, "Really?"

He rolled his eyes, "Tone down the sarcasm."

"I don't feel like it."

"Do you need to stop?"

"Can we?"

He walked over to a log and sat down, "Let's talk."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Whatever."

"What are the complications Brad was talking about?"

Derek shrugged, "You were a different gender."

"You just lied straight to my face."

He scoffed, "I didn't."

"You did!"

His lips tilted into a smile, "I'll tell you later. Promise."

"Okay."

"You miss him, don't you?"

"I feel like I'm the only one who isn't happy."

"You're not."

"Are you saying you're not happy?"

"I'm not saying that. Kale's away from his parents, too."

"He has a mate who keeps him happy, though."

"How do you know she keeps him happy?"

"I'm not stupid, Derek."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jenny told me that a mate means you're forever in love. If you're going to be in love forever, what's stopping you?"

"Chloe, what the hell are you talking about?"  
I rolled my eyes, "Did you fail health?"

"What?"

"Oh my God!"

"Chloe!"

"Sex, Derek!"

His mouth formed an 'o' of surprise, "Got it."

"I'm sure she keeps him happy."

"How do you know so much? Simon told me you were, and I quote, 'forever alone.' Oh, and he said those were your words."

"Let's see, Derek. I love movies, and I love to write. Hmm, maybe I read above my grade level, too! Plus, Tori's my best friend."

"I really didn't want to know that about my sister."

"Don't worry, there's no reason to worry yet."

"Just shut up, please."

I grinned, "Derek doesn't want to hear about his sister's sex life?"

"No, nor do I want to hear about Simon's but he tells me anyway."

"Simon has a sex life?"

"We're done with this conversation."

"Come on!"

"No."

I rolled my eyes, "Party pooper."

"Who says that anymore?"

"I do."

"Oh, yes. You're an angel."

"According to Brad I am."

"Every female is an angel according to Brad."

"Does he have a sex life?"

"Chloe!"

"I'm sorry! I just figured since you were his roommate and all…"

"Please don't make me relive it."

"Why?"

"I slept in the dorm lounge half the time."

I giggled, "He had a very active sex life?"

"Enough."

"Do you know if I ever went to the lab?" I asked quietly.

"You were there a few times."

"How do you know?"

"Your file, remember?"

"Oh. I just thought maybe you and I…"

"What?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I guess with the way we act I figured we had a past."

"I think you ended up in the play room with Simon a couple times."

"Did I ever talk to you?"

"Maybe once or twice."

"So, we were friends?"

"You and Simon were nice to me."

"I don't even remember it."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"Why?"

"Because they made sure you didn't remember it."

"My parents?"

"Someone else."

"Aunt Lauren?"

"If I remember right."

"Are you saying they erased my memories?"

"Only the ones in the lab."

"But they didn't erase yours?"

"No, they wanted me to suffer."

"What about Simon?"

"They just made his fuzzy."

"Why did they erase mine?"

"Because something happened while you were there and they were afraid it would turn out to be disastrous if you remembered. They didn't think it through, though."

"The complications?"

"The complications."

"What happened, Derek?"

"Another time."

"You keep telling me that."

"I promise I'll tell you when the time comes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay."

He pushed himself off the log, "We better head back before they start to worry."

"What's going to happen to us?"

"I don't know, Chloe."

"Are you serious?"

He chuckled humorlessly, "I'm serious."

"Oh, wow."

~DP~

"I just want five minutes of privacy!" I yelled as someone else knocked on my door.

Derek poked his head in the door, "They need you in the kitchen."

"I'll be down in five minutes," I muttered, tapping furiously on my computer.

"They need you in the kitchen _now_."

"They're going to have to wait."

"_Now!_"

I quickly saved my script and shut my computer, setting it on my bed, "What the hell do they need?"  
"Have you slept at all?"

I ran my hand through my hair like I had been for the last few hours, "I've been busy."

"I guess we're going to have to pack for you."

"We're leaving?" I shrieked.

He winced, rubbing his ear, "Thanks."

"What the hell? Why the hell are we leaving? We've only been here a few weeks!"

"Calm down, Chloe."

"I can't calm down, Derek! Why am I the last one to know?"

Kit groaned, "You ignored all of us."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Most of the night."

"Damn it! Stupid script…"

"Chloe, go get some sleep. Tori and I will pack your things," Jenny told me.

Tears filled my eyes, "Why are we leaving?"

"The EG tracked us down."

"It was the phone calls and video chats with my dad wasn't it?"

"Chloe, go get some sleep."

"This is my fault," I whispered.

Tori put her arm around my shoulder, "Let's go."

"I caused this."

~DP~

I rubbed my eyes, sitting up, "How did I get in the car?"

"Derek carried you out," Tori told me.

"Oh. Where are we going?"

"Back to New York. We're going to stay with Andrew."

"All of us?"

She nodded, "Sam and the others are behind us."

"Okay."

"It's not your fault, Chloe."

I looked down at my fingers, "I'm the one who insisted on talking to him every night."

"That doesn't make it your fault."

"But it is my fault."

"Chloe…"

"No, it's my fault and that's all there is to it."

~DP~

"Now entering New York," I muttered, my breath fogging up the window.

"It only took us two days this time."

"It's because Chloe wasn't sick this time."

"Maybe it's because we didn't have to go as far," I suggested.

"Nah," Tori teased, "It was because you were sick."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever you believe."

"Do you guys want to stop soon?" Kit asked, peering at us through the rear-view mirror.

I shrugged, "I just want to get far away from everything."

"That's enough of the pity session," Derek growled.

I locked my jaw, "Like we weren't all thinking the same thing."

"You don't have to voice it."

"Oh, stop getting all smart on me."

"Stop pitying yourself."  
"It's my fault."

"No, it's not, Chloe."

"Derek," Kit warned.

"I'm telling her. I'm sick of her blaming herself. It's as much my fault as it is hers."

"How is it your fault?"

"I didn't-"

"Derek!" Kit yelled, "No! Now is not the time!"

"Why is it that you guys always hide things from me?" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.

"We're just protecting you," Simon murmured, placing his hand on my arm.

A low growl rumbled in Derek's throat, "Simon…"

"Oh, come on, Derek. It's just me."

"Simon, don't provoke your brother."

"Dad."

"Not now," he quickly hit a few buttons on his phone, putting it to his ear, "We're stopping at the next town, Sam. These kids are all in bad moods and I can't keep the secrets hidden forever. I think we all need a good meal and a good night's sleep before we go any farther."

"Thanks for making me sound bitchy," Tori muttered.

"Language," Kit growled, putting the phone in the cup holder.

"Sorry," she sighed.

"What has gotten into you four?" he asked.

Simon chuckled, "Dad, it's mostly Derek and Chloe. Put two and two together. Why are they in bad moods?"

"I am so lost," I muttered.

Kit groaned, "And for right now, we can't fix anything."

Simon sighed, "Exactly."

"Unless Derek is ready to drop the bomb," Tori suggested.

"No!" Kit exclaimed, "Derek isn't dropping the bomb yet if he's ready or not. No. None of us are ready for that."

"You guys are making me sound like a hormone crazed werewolf," Derek rumbled.

"Uh, Derek…?"

"Shut up, Simon."

"Hormone crazed?"

"Nothing, Chloe."

"Am I ever going to find anything out?"

"In time," Tori grinned.

"How much time is 'in time?'"

"When we're ready to tell you," Derek answered.

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of updating! My wrist has been getting worse and I'm not allowed to do any type of handwriting anymore. I've been spending hours on homework every night because I have to type it up, plus I've had tons of other things going on. I hope you like it and I'm hoping to do a lot of writing over Christmas break, but don't come chasing me with pitchforks if I don't get a lot done. Reviews might make me write more :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Because I decided that I love all of you, and there were quite a few reviews, I got another chapter written. Enjoy! **

"What does it feel like?" I asked Jenny, scanning the grocery list Kit and Sam had given us.

"What? Being in love?" she asked, thinking about our conversation on the walk.

I nodded, reaching for a couple jugs of water, "I want to make sure I'm writing it right."

She tilted her head, "I don't know. It's like a warm fuzzy feeling. The person you're in love with can always bring a smile to your face no matter what your mood is. And even if all you're doing is watching TV, you're just happy to be with them."

I nodded, reaching for a bag of chips, "It makes sense."

"Those weren't on the list, were they?"

I shrugged, "Derek gave me money to buy him a few things. These were on the list."

"You'll also do anything for them, no matter how crazy the demand is," she murmured.

I snapped my head towards her, "What?"

She shrugged, "I'm not saying anything bad. Friends do the same things, but usually friends don't do the really stupid things."

I laughed, "No, I'm not going to go buy Derek underwear or anything."

She giggled, "Oh, God! I would never buy Kale underwear. Ever! And we're mates."

I shook my head, "Glad to know we're on the same page."

We made our way through the store, not really talking but not going through in total silence. There were a few simple questions getting thrown between the two of us, but other than that it was peaceful. There were the normal noises of a grocery store but there was no screaming or dead things crawling towards us. It was refreshing for once.

She looked at the list, "Okay, we're done with this stuff. Is there anything else you need to get Derek?"

I pursed my lips, thinking back to list he'd given me before we left, "No, I got it all."

"Okay. Let's go pay for this stuff."

~DP~

Derek took two jugs of water, pushing them into the back of the van, "You got my stuff?"

I nodded, waving towards a bag sitting in the child part of the cart, "It's in there. Were you worried I'd forget?"

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, "Chloe."

"Oh, shut up," I laughed, "I remembered it all."

"Good. Now I have to hide it."

I giggled, "What if I find it and eat it?"

A rare smile tilted his lips, "Then I'll have to kill you and hide your body."

Simon came around the corner of the van, "What's this about hiding a body?"

I grinned, "We're trying to figure out where we're going to hide your body when we kill you."

His easy smile fell, "Uh…"

"Kidding, Simon," I laughed, rolling my eyes as I loaded the last bag into the van.

"I knew that."

"Okay."

He started to say something else but commotion around the front of the van cut him off. I looked at Derek, hoping he'd tell us what was going on without having to go around front but he was too busy throwing food into a bag. I stumbled back as he threw me my duffle bag, filled with a few extra sets of clothes, my laptop, and a few things I took into hotel rooms with me. He threw Simon a duffle, too, along with Tori's duffle, and took his own duffle and a duffle full of food for himself.

"Derek, what-"

He cut me off, "Simon, Tori went into the store to use the bathroom. Go find her, give her bag to her, then get non-perishable food that's easy to carry, got it?"

"Yeah, Derek, what's going on up there?"

"You don't want to know. Chloe and I are going to try and get a few more things out of here and hope that we can get the van. We'll meet you at that abandoned house back about half a mile, okay?"

Simon nodded, "See you guys soon."

As soon as he was out of earshot, I turned to Derek, "What the hell is going on?"

He placed his hand over my mouth, "Shut. Up. We can't risk being heard. There are a few EG members up there but it doesn't seem like it's anything serious. Dad just mumbled under his breath and told all of us kids to get to that abandoned house about half a mile back. He said he'd meet us there. Kale and Jenny have already headed that way, Brad's waiting behind Sam's van, but you and I have to get some things that are in our van."

I nodded, pushing his hand off my mouth, "What do we need to get?"

"Anything that could give us away."

"I'm on it," I murmured, slipping over the back seat of the van.

~DP~

"Derek."

"Yeah?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. I just needed to make sure I wasn't alone."

"I'm right beside you, Chloe."

"I can't see. It's dark and I don't have werewolf eyesight."

"I'm right here."

"Okay."

~DP~

"Derek."

"I'm right here, Chloe," he answered, knowing the drill after several hours of walking.

"Are we going the right way?"

"Yeah, I can smell the others."

"Why haven't we gotten there yet?"

"You and I had to take a roundabout way. The EG might have been tracking us, but we made plenty of circles. They aren't going to be tracking us anymore."

~DP~

"Derek."

"Chloe."

"Are we almost there?"

"It's not much farther."

"Okay."

"Chloe?"

"Yeah, Derek?"

"Let me know if you need to stop."

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

~DP~

"Derek! Chloe!"

I rubbed my eyes, looking for someone, "Who is that?"

Derek shifted me in his arms, "Its Kale."

"Oh."

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's just exhausted. She about passed out on her feet."

"You can put me down now."

"Let me take you upstairs, Chloe. I'm afraid you'll hurt yourself."

I chuckled, "You have a very good point."

~DP~

"Derek," I whispered.

"I'm right here," he murmured from beside me.

I reached my hand out, brushing my fingers against his, "Good. I was afraid I was alone."

"Why are you so afraid of being alone?"

I stared up at the ceiling in the dark room, "After my mom died, it seemed like I was always alone. I would wake up and cry out and no one would be there. It happened anytime something bad happened. I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up at some point and I'm going to be alone."

"Don't worry, Chloe. I won't leave you alone."

"Thank you," I whispered, my fingers brushing against his again.

As I started to drift off, his hand moved to enclose mine. I squeezed his hand slightly before drifting off into a sound sleep. I wasn't aware of myself rolling over and using his arm as a pillow. Nor was I aware of his arm moving around my waist, but that's the way we were laying when I woke up hours later.

~DP~

I walked out onto the deck, handing Derek coffee in a mug with the handle broken off, "I think we need to discuss our options, Derek."

He stared at the empty road, "He'll be here."

I sat down beside him, wrapping my arms around my legs, "It's been close to a week, Derek. There haven't been any signs of him."

"I know."

"Kale thinks we should try and head back into town. You know, to see if there are any signs of either of them."

"We're running out of supplies, aren't we?"

I chuckled, "You heard us, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow morning, after we all get a good night's sleep, Tori, Simon, you, and I will go. Okay?"

I nodded, "And Derek?"

He got to his feet, sticking his hand out to me, "Yeah?"

I pulled myself up, "About the last couple nights…"

"There's nothing to talk about, Chloe."

"But-"

"Not right now, at least," he finished, "Right now, we need to worry about what's going on with Dad and Sam."

I nodded, pulling open the screen door, "Okay."

I knew he was done talking but a part of me still wanted to push and ask him about what these last few nights had meant. Every night, we slept in our own room, only because it was the only room that hadn't been claimed. We shared a king sized bed, and slept on opposite sides of it, but every morning we found ourselves curled up in the middle. Derek refused to talk about it, and I hadn't tried to pry, but it still continued to eat at me.

~DP~

I watched my feet as we walked in silence, counting every step I took silently. It was like something from a horror film. Four teenagers walking down an abandoned road. All that was missing was the rapist van. I noise at my side made me look up, only to find Derek, Simon, and Tori giving me amused looks.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Tori chuckled, "You realize we've been traveling in what could be described as a rapist van, right?"

I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked back at my feet, "Oh, shut up. You know this is my way of making sense of things."

Simon shook his head, "Go on. Continue to make sense of things. Tell us what happens when the rapist van does come."

I flipped him off, "It's a wonder you can get a girlfriend."

"Hey!"

I grinned, "It's true."

"I don't like you."

"I'm wounded."

~DP~

I walked up to the girl who'd checked Jenny and I out at the register yesterday, "Hi, I was here with my sister yesterday. What happened to the van's that picked us up?"

The girl glanced up from her nails, "They were parked at the motel down the road this morning."

I smiled, "Thanks."

"So?" Derek asked when I walked back outside.

"Parked at the motel this morning," I sighed, "What now?"

"Is there another motel around here?" Simon asked.

"Possibly down this way, but Kit likes to stay on the outskirts of town."

"It's worth a try," Tori suggested.

~DP~

"Can I help you?" the kid behind the desk asked, barely glancing up from the book he was reading.

"Hi, we checked in with our dad last night, but we can't remember what room we were in and we forgot our phones in the room," Simon frowned, "Can you tell us?"

"What's your dad's name?"

"Kit Brown."

The kid scanned the computer, "You're in room 19. It's on the other side of the parking lot."

"Thanks," Simon grinned, coming over to us, "Its room 19, guys. How did we forget that?"

Tori shrugged, "I wasn't paying attention."

We walked across the parking lot, heading towards the room. We were about to knock on the door when I heard a familiar voice inside. A voice that didn't belong to Kit or Sam. I felt my heart sink, having spent the last couple weeks convincing myself that it had all been a lie. Before I could say anything, though, the door opened and a blonde woman walked out.

"Aunt Lauren," I whispered.

Her eyes met mine, "No, Chloe, you're not supposed to be here. None of you are supposed to be here."

I shook my head, "You tricked us."

"No, Chloe. You guys need to get out of here."

"You knew we'd come back," I cried.

"Lauren, who's at the door?" a voice called.

Tori's face fell, "Mom."

"You need to get out of here," Aunt Lauren whispered.

It was too late, though, Mrs. Enright peered over her shoulder, "Victoria. You brought your friends."

Tori paled, "We were just leaving."

"No, why don't you stay?"

Tori shook her head, "No, we really need to go."

Mrs. Enright lunged for us as we all took off running. She shouted orders at Aunt Lauren, telling her to come after us, but Aunt Lauren was frozen. I cast one glance over my shoulder, before I focused my attention on the others in front of me. We hadn't made it far before my foot caught in a hole and my ankle made a cracking noise. I let out a cry of pain, causing Derek to come back and scoop me up.

"It's probably just a sprain," he reassured me, running after Tori and Simon.

I clenched my jaw in pain, "I heard a crack."

"Are you sure it wasn't a pop?"

"I know the difference between a pop and a crack," I scowled.

Simon waved at us, pointing at an alley, "Come on!"

Derek hurried into the alley, setting me down against the wall, "Let me check it out."

I winced as he pulled off my shoe, "Could you please be a little gentle?"

"I'm being as gentle as I can, Chloe," he muttered, rotating my foot.

I bit back a string of curse worse, "Ow."

"I think it's just a sprain," he muttered, casting a wary glance at it.

I nodded, leaning my head back against the wall, "What now?"

"Simon's going to stay with you. Tori and I are going to go scout the town and try to get ahold of Kale, Brad, and Jenny. We'll be back soon."

"Derek, it's cold. I don't have a coat."

He tossed me his backpack, "There's a blanket in there. We'll be back soon."

~DP~

I huddled against the wall in the alley, "How much longer, do you think?"

Simon put him arm around me, "They should be back soon."

I shivered, "I really hope so."

"I can tell."

Derek bounded around the corner, "We need to go, _now_!"

Simon scrambled to his feet, "What happened?"

"The EG is what happened! They have more people out there looking for us! Let's _go_!"

"Derek!" I cried, "Are you just going to leave me here?"

His face became conflicted, "Chloe, you can hardly walk…"

"Then help me!"

He tossed another blanket towards me, "We'll come back for you."

Tears sprang to my eyes, "What?"

"We'll be back in two hours tops, okay? We just need to get the EG off our tail."

"What if they find me?"

"They won't, and Chloe?"

"What?" I whispered.

"Never mind," he muttered, running off after Simon.

I waited for hours, huddling in the blankets when the wind happened to blow down the alley. The sun started to peek through the clouds, letting me know that it had been close to five hours since they'd disappeared. I wiped the tears from my cheeks, not allowing myself to cry anymore. It was hopeless, they'd been caught.

When the sun was fully up, I struggled to get to my feet, ignoring the nearly unbearable pain in my ankle. I pushed the blankets Derek had given me into his backpack, and tossed it over my shoulder. I limped out of the alley and into the busy street. A woman across the road froze in her tracks and looked at me. After staring at me for a few moments she hurried over, worry etched on her face.

"Miss, is everything alright?"

I nodded, "I'm just looking."

"Are you sure? You're limping."

"I twisted my ankle, nothing serious."

She put her arm around me, "Here, come with me. Why don't we get you somewhere warm and dry?"

"No, it's fine. I'm fine."

"No arguing, honey, you're shivering."

~DP~

I shrugged, looking at the doctor, "I was with some friends. I fell. They left me to go get help and didn't come back."

"The break suggests you were running."

I sighed, "We were screwing around. I think we were chasing after another friend."

"You said you guys were just passing through."

I nodded, "We're on our way back home to Buffalo. We were in South Carolina visiting some friends."

The doctor helped me up, "Let me adjust these crutches then you'll be on your way."

"Thank you."

~DP~

"Thank you for all your help," I murmured at the woman who was packing up the things she'd bought for me in the last few weeks.

She gave me a small smile, "I'd love to keep you here, but they said you couldn't stay."

"I really appreciate all your help," I told her, looking down at my hands.

"I wrote my number down and put in your bag," she told me, "If you ever need help, just call me."

"Where did you say I was going?"

"Lyle House. It's a group home on the other side of town. They have good reviews."

"Who did you say owned it?"

"I didn't," she frowned, "Now that you mention it, no one told me who did own it."

My shoulders slumped, "Okay."

She pulled me into a hug, "Remember, dear, all you have to do is call."

I returned the hug, jumping when a car horn was heard, "I guess I'd better go."

She picked up my bag, "I'll walk you out. I know you're still a little unsteady on that new brace."

I looked down at the big black brace that covered my leg up to my knee, "It's just so bulky."

"Would you rather still be in the cast with crutches?"

I grinned, "Nope. I love this brace."

She chuckled, "Come on, dear."

~DP~

"Welcome to Lyle House, Miss Sanders."

I gave my fakest smile to the woman in front of me, leaning on my suitcase in hopes of keeping my balance, "Thank you, Mrs. Talbot. I was hoping I could go lay down for a while, though."

"I'm afraid not, dear. I have to introduce you to the others."

I followed her down the hallway, using the wall as support, "Can we make it quick? My ankle is really bothering me."

"Liar, you just want to talk to me," Liz teased, walking along beside me.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sanders, but dinner is right after introductions."

"Okay," I sighed.

Liz frowned, "This place looks really familiar."

Miss Talbot led me into a room, "Guys, this is Miss Chloe Sanders. Please make her feel welcome."

The room was silent for a moment until a fist hit the table, "Damn it!"

Miss Talbot jumped beside me, "Derek, you know the rules. I'll put you on double laundry duty."

His face darkened, "Sorry, ma'am."

I bit back a giggle, "Nice to know you do have manners."

"Chloe, this young man is Derek, that's his brother Simon, and his sister Victoria."

"It's Tori," she scowled.

"Sorry, I mean Tori. There's Rae, and that's Brady."

"It's nice to meet you, Brady," I smiled, "And it's nice to see the rest of you again."

Miss Talbot grew troubled, "You know everyone?"

"We were friends at Buffalo High," I answered.

"I guess we really don't need to do introductions then, do we? Why don't you guys get caught up while I finish dinner?"

Tori gave her a sickly sweet smile, "Of course, Miss Talbot."

"Will you be okay, Chloe? You mentioned that your ankle was bothering you."

I smiled, "I'll just sit down and prop it up."

"Okay, dear."

When she left the room, I made my way over to the unoccupied couch, barely making it two feet before falling, "Shit."

"Chloe!" Tori exclaimed.

I pushed my hair out of my face, fighting off tears of humiliation, "I'm fine. I'm just not used to this god damn brace."

Derek got up, walking over and crouching down beside me, "Here, let me help you."

I glared at him, smacking his hand away, "I don't need help."

"Chloe, don't be like this."

"_It's just a sprain. You'll be fine. It's not serious_," I mimicked, "I'm lucky they didn't have to operate."

Derek pinched his nose, "I'm sorry, okay? I had other things on my mind."

I struggled to my feet, limping over to the couch, "Speaking of other things, how did you end up here?"

Simon shook his head behind Derek's back, making a slicing motion across his neck. My brow furrowed, and I looked to Derek and Tori, noticing that most of their faces had darkened. Derek stomped over and sat back down where he had been sitting before I fell, and Tori focused on the TV. I met Simon's eyes, a silent message being sent between the two of us. He'd tell me later.

"Have you guys called Kale, Jenny, or Brad?" I finally asked after a long silence.

Tori nodded, shifting her focus back to me, "They're working on finding Dad and Sam, but since they're not our legal guardians, they can't do anything."

"What about my Dad?"

"Isn't he in Singapore?" Simon asked.

I groaned, "Yeah, meaning I can't get ahold of him."

Derek frowned, "How did you end up here?"

"I somehow got out of that alley and a woman came to help. She took me in and took care of me until social services wouldn't let her keep me anymore. She paid my doctor bills, bought me clothes, and fed me. I didn't want to leave, but social services refused to let me stay until we could find Kit. Did you know my dad put him down as my legal guardian while he's away?"

"I didn't know that," Simon frowned, "Why would he do that?"

I shrugged, "I couldn't tell you. But we know that we'll always end up together."

"Yeah, we will."

"This woman, Chloe, what was her name?" Derek asked quietly.

"I don't know her last name, but her first name was Merry. Like Merry Christmas. The name fit her personality."

The blood drained from Simon's face, "Derek…?"

Derek shook his head, "No, she's gone. It's not her."

"But-"

"It's not Mom, Simon! Mom left, and she isn't coming back."

"It's not a common name, Derek."

"But it is a name. Mom's long gone, Simon."

"What if it was her? Chloe looks exactly like Jen. Mom and Jen got to be friends when Dad introduced them. If it was Mom, she'd have recognized Chloe."

"It wasn't her, Simon."

"But-"

Derek shook his head, stopping anymore protests, "Here comes Miss Talbot."

She walked in the door just as he finished, "Dinner's ready, kids."

I pushed to my feet, reaching for the wall but finding Derek already there, "I can use the wall."

"And it's safer if I help you," he retorted, giving me a look that stopped me from any more arguments.

**A/N: Just to clear something up, earlier in the story I mentioned that Simon's mom died, but I'm changing it so that she just left. Also, Derek refers to her as "Mom," but he's still adopted. It's just like him referring to Kit as "Dad." Also, I wanted to mention that if you go look at Betrayal's and Mistakes, you'll see that it's in the process of being rewritten. I totally messed up the storyline I originally started writing and I don't like what I have written. I'll try to have the first rewritten chapter up in a month. **

** I might be able to get another chapter written in the next couple weeks, but with the holidays, things are kind of crazy. I'm going back to the doctor about my wrist soon and there's a very good chance that I'm going to have surgery. Plus, when school starts again, things are going to be even crazier than they have been. With finals coming up right after break, staying after school an extra hour most nights, and homework taking me between two and four hours every night, writing is at the bottom of my priority list. I love your reviews and waking up to a new one in my inbox most mornings makes me smile. So, please review. :) Maybe we can try and get to 50 reviews before my next update?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here's an update. There's a long authors note at the end.**

I tapped the pencil eraser against my lips, glaring down at the problem on the worksheet in front of me. Tori was off to the side, muttering at her own paper but mostly because she didn't want to do it. I was uncomfortable and the problem didn't make sense. There was the start of a headache throbbing in the back of my skull, while my ankle was throbbing in my brace. I continued to glare at the problem, wishing that I could place a curse on math.

"You know, glaring at it isn't going to make it go away," Derek teased, sitting down in the chair beside me.

I dropped the pencil, closing my eyes and groaning in frustration, "Can you help me?"  
"No."

"No?" I exclaimed.

He shook his head, taking the paper and placing it in my folder, "We're going to play basketball."

"Basketball…? Oh…!"  
Tori rolled her eyes, putting away her homework, "I wonder about you sometimes, Chloe."

"Oh, go to hell, Tori."

She grinned, "They kicked me out. Miss Talbot?"

The nurse bustled into the room, "Yes, dear?"

"Can we go play basketball?"

She smiled, "Of course. Follow me."

~DP~

I crossed my legs under me, watching Derek and Simon shoot hoops, "We're free of cameras. I assume you have something important to tell me."

"We need to bust out of here," Tori explained.

"Why would we bust out of here?"

"It's a group home, Chloe, not a foster home."

"That doesn't explain anything, though."

"Have you had your appointment with Dr. Gill yet?"

"No, why?"

"She's going to try and stuff you full of pills that will mess with your powers," Tori told me, matter-of-factly.

My eyes widened, "We need to bust out of here."

"We have a genius over here, guys," Simon teased.

I stuck my tongue out, "Oh, shut up. So, time to make a plan?"

"Time to make a plan," Derek agreed.

"I can't go anywhere. At least, not until my ankle is healed and even then, I'm going to be slow moving."

"Derek can carry you."

"I'll just slow you guys down."

"We aren't leaving you here."

"I'll be fine."

"Oh, yeah, because a group home for mentally unstable teens is safe," Tori muttered sarcastically.

"You guys aren't mentally unstable," I pointed out.

"I forgot tell you."

"Forgot tell me what?"

"We were on our way back for you when some of the EG members stopped us. Derek got upset and threw one of them against a wall."

"Did-Did he kill him?"

"No, but the guy was paralyzed. One of Tori's knockback spells went crazy and she threw one of the other guys back a few feet."

"And you?" I prompted Simon, since the other two were quiet.

"I'm a victim by association. Just because I was there, they automatically assume that I'm unstable."

I sighed, "Alright, Derek can carry me."

~DP~

I was chewing on my thumb, studying Derek when he spoke, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

I jumped, startled by his voice, "Sorry, I was just thinking."

He put down the book he was reading, "About what?"

I pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of my pocket, handing it to him, "Here."

"Where'd you get this?"  
"Merry gave it to me when I left."

His face lit up, "Come on. We're going to find Talbot."

I followed him into the kitchen where Miss Talbot was making dinner, "Miss Talbot?"

"Chloe, Derek, can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could call the woman who took care of me before I came here. I never thanked her for all she did."

"You can use the phone in the living room."

"Thank you," I smiled.

Derek didn't waste any time pulling me into the living room and dialing the number I'd given him. He handed me the phone as soon as it started ringing, but stayed beside me. His leg was bouncing uncontrollably, the only hint that he was nervous.

"Hello?"

"Um, Merry? This is Chloe Sanders."

"Oh, Chloe, dear. How are you? How is the foster home treating you?"

"I'm fine. I'm being treated… okay," I answered, hesitating only a little.

"Are you lying to me?"

I smiled, "No, everything's okay. I actually met up with my group here."

"That's great, sweetie."

"It is. Derek, Simon, Tori, and I are really hoping we'll be able to find Kit soon."

There was an intake of breath on the other end, and within seconds the phone was wrenched from my hand, "You recognize those names, don't you?"

I watched Derek, his face telling me what I needed to know, "Derek."

"No, we're fine," he answered, "We're together, that's all that matters. I'm not sure Davidoff's going to be too impressed with that, though."

"Davidoff?" I whispered, smacking his arm to get his attention.

He looked down at me, "I thought Tori told you?"

"Hell no!"  
"Hang on a minute," he said into the phone, "This is a part of the EG, Chloe, we seriously need to bust out of here."

"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered.

"Okay, I'm back. No, Tori just forgot to explain stuff to Chloe. Dinner tonight? Yeah, I think we can do that. I'll see you then."

I laid a hand on his arm when he hung up the phone, "Derek…?"

"I think she'll help us."

"Derek, what are you thinking?"

One of his rare crooked smiles appeared on his face, "We're going to have help."  
"I won't slow you down."

"No, you won't slow us down," he murmured, lifting his hand to brush a piece of hair out of my face.

My cheeks burned, "D-Derek…"

"Your hair looks really pretty, you know," he told me.

"Th-Thanks?"

He chuckled, "Just accept the compliment, Chloe."

"Why are you complimenting me?"

"Please don't tell me you're that blonde."

I smacked his arm lightly, "Stop with the blonde jokes."

"You know, your hair looks a lot blonder now since Tori dyed it."

"I was expecting that," I muttered, "The underside is darker."

Derek lifted a hand and wrapped a lock of hair around his finger, "It makes you look older."

I blushed, "Uh… Thanks, again?"

"Just accept it."

"D-Derek," I whispered, my stutter continuing to make an appearance, "Are y-you okay-y?"

"Definitely," he murmured.

His hand moved from my hair to hold the back of my head. He used his other hand to tilt my chin up, causing my breathing to hitch. His head dipped down, lips brushing against mine. I froze for a minute, before slowly moving my hand to his shoulder. He smiled against my lips, taking my actions as an okay and deepening the kiss.

"Derek," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Talbot might walk in."

He pulled away slowly, placing a light kiss on my forehead, "We're getting the hell out of here soon."

I raised my eyebrows, "You can't use kissing as an excuse for wanting to leave so soon."

His eyebrows drew together, "I'm not. We're leaving tomorrow night. Davidoff is coming tomorrow afternoon. We're leaving before he has a chance to come back. Talbot and Van Dop are in the kitchen talking about it."

~DP~

Before I could register that Merry had walked in the door, I was swept into a bone crushing hug. When she released me, she looked me over, making sure nothing had changed in the last few weeks. It wasn't until Derek cleared his throat that she looked at the rest of us, covering her mouth as she took the rest of us in.

"Well aren't you a ragtag group," she breathed.

I took a step back, positioning myself closer to Derek, "Should we go to dinner?"

She nodded, "Let's go, kids. I'll have them back in a couple hours, Miss Van Dop."

The younger nurse nodded, not saying a word when we walked out of the house. I slid into the backseat of the car with Tori and Derek, allowing Simon to have the front seat. The ride to the restaurant was silent, tension filling the air. Derek stared out the window, but he held my hand where no one could see. Tori was on the other side of me, playing some kind of game on her iPod. I stared out the windshield, focusing on the quiet music coming from the speakers.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Mary stopped the car, but didn't get out, "Would someone please say something?"

"Why are you helping now?" Simon asked, "You left us. So, why now?"

"Because I realized I made a mistake," she answered quietly, "Let's go."

~DP~

I took a sip of water, "What we really need to do is get to Kale, Jenny, and Brad. They'll be able to help."

Derek frowned, "What about Andrew? We were on our way to see him when we got caught."

"It's an option," Simon agreed, "But Chloe's right, we need to get the others."

"We need to figure out how to get you out," Merry smiled.

"We have to be out by tomorrow night at dinner. Davidoff's coming."

Merry swore under her breath, "That's a problem."

"Could we manage it tonight?" I asked.

All eyes turned to me, but it was Tori who spoke, "Tonight? Chloe, you can't be serious. We have pack, yet."

"So we tell Liz what we want her to pack. She can get the bags outside and hide them so that we can sneak in and get them."

"Sounds good," Merry smiled.

** A/N: It's been close to two months since I updated, I know, but I have legit reasons like usual. My wrist has actually been getting better, as I'm sure many of you will be happy to know. I can't write too much with it yet, but I'm working on strengthening it up. On top of all the crap with my wrist, I've been in charge of keeping my house clean. My mom just got her dream car (a '65 Mustang Fastback for those who want to know) and has been in the process of restoring it. Because of that, I'm the only one ever home, so all housework has fallen to me. I clean the house, I do the laundry, and I take care of the dogs, all on top of being a sophomore in high school. Yeah, there's been a lot going on. **

** I've had a lot of time to write recently, though. In fact, I didn't have school today because of a blizzard so I wrote this entire chapter in the span of a few hours. It isn't the longest, but I was at a good stopping point and I have another project I'm working on. **

** I know in my last chapter I said I was going to try and get the rewritten chapter of Betrayal's and Mistakes up, but with all that's been going on I haven't had a chance. I've kind of lost inspiration for that story because I don't really have a solid outline. Anyway, this is long enough. Your reviews make me smile, so review! :) **


End file.
